Paul Bridges, a member of St James’ Church in Quedgeley has come up with a suggested cycle route that can be used to fundraise for Gloucestershire churches in the 2022 annual sponsored Ride + Stride event.
Paul, 77, is a keen cyclist and wants to encourage more people to experience the fun of a day’s cycle trip. He decided to plan a route that was reasonably flat, with plenty of churches, pubs, and even Wholly Cow Ice Cream for a treat en route.
“The people you ride with bring a great amount of pleasure. One of the highlights of the route is St Mary’s Fretherne, which is known as the ‘mini cathedral’. It’s really spectacular. St Peter’s at Upper Framilode is situated right next to the edge of the river, with a nautical theme. I’ve looked through each church’s history and found a few interesting titbits to share about each church.”
Paul would love people to join him and encourages anyone who is interested to get in touch on moc.l1726404395iamg@172640439554stn1726404395opsel1726404395 The only condition for joining is that people should either collect their own Ride + Stride sponsorship, naming St James’, or sponsor Paul at justgiving.com/fundraising/st-james-church-quedgeley
Ride + Stride is a nationwide event supported by the National Churches Trust and organised locally by the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust. The day sees cyclists, walkers and even horse riders getting involved to raise money, which will be used to preserve much-loved historic buildings across Gloucestershire and North Bristol for future generations to enjoy.
Participating churches can be found all across the counties, with many offering refreshments for visitors. This year a number of churches throughout the region have created their own walking or cycle routes and are inviting people who want to take part in the event to join them.
Colin Senior from Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust said, “We are so lucky to have some incredible historic buildings in the area and we love to see local people getting involved in this annual event discovering the hidden gems Gloucestershire and North Bristol have to offer. We’re particularly excited about the new organised routes and hope this will inspire even more people to join us this year.
“You don’t have to be a member of the church to take part. This is a great event for families, friends, colleagues and sports clubs to get together and enjoy what will hopefully be some glorious weather and our amazing local history.”
Last year’s Ride + Stride saw £45,052 raised at the Gloucestershire/North Bristol event which has since helped with a number of projects including repairs, conservation and reordering. The Trust hopes that this year’s event will be even more successful and allow more vital works to be supported at churches across the counties next year.
To find out more about how to get involved, including details of organised walks and bike rides, visit the Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust website.
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